RUSSIAN DENIAL

Evening Star, Issue 25633, 6 November 1945, Page 5

RUSSIAN DENIAL

NU MASS TRANSFERS FEW HUNDRED NON-GERMANS AFFEGTED (Rec. 12.20 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 5. Russian officers to-day told British officers handling the refugee problem that there had been a misunderstanding about the order reported to have been issued ordering 1,000,000 persons evacuated from Western Germany to return by to-day, says Reuter’s Berlin correspondent. He added that the order applied only to displaced nonGermans, In any case, they were not ordered to return to Western Germany but to move into camps. for removal westwards. British officials said the non-Germans affected would be a minute number, possibly only several hundreds. • - Josef Sclilaffer, director of refugee administration for the Soviet zone, declared: “We have definitely not the slightest intention of moving large numbers of people suddenly to the west. On the contrary, we are most anxious that this shall he an orderly movement- We are constantly broadcasting statements to this effect.” He added that persons waiting return to the western zone comprised 550,000 for the British zone, 380,000 for the French zone, and 80,000 for the American zone. | A British spokesman said the general wish of all parties concerned was to get the problem of refugees and displaced persons settled as soon as possible. They were striving to find some formula whereby, they could carry out their tasks as fairly as possible. It was estimated that there would be 1,600,000 Germans in- the British zone by December 31, in addition to those already there. Poles, as compensation for the influx, were being evacuated to Stettin at the rate of 3,000 a day.